Teacher is murdered inside a classroom in Honduras

A Honduran teacher was murdered this Wednesday inside the school where he taught classes in the community of El Chaparral, municipality of Nacaome, in the south of the country. The crime, perpetrated in broad daylight and in front of students, demonstrates the growth of homicidal violence, with an increase of 6.24 % in the homicides recorded so far in 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the Observatory of Violence of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (OV-UNAH). The attack on teacher Alex Castro, identified as a teacher at the Proheco school “Francisco Javier Montalván”, occurred during the school day. Two armed individuals, who arrived on a motorcycle, entered the institution and went directly to the classroom where Castro was, shooting him several times and causing his immediate death in the presence of several students, according to witness testimony. The murder of Alex Castro inside a classroom underscores the vulnerability of educational centers in Honduras and the psychological effect of violence on minors. Witnesses described the scene as “shocking,” with students witnessing the crime.

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Security experts consulted by the Observatory maintain that these traumatic events can negatively impact the emotional and academic development of girls, boys, and adolescents. Parents, teachers, and local authorities have expressed their outrage and fear at the possibility of these attacks being replicated in other school spaces. The educational community demands the adoption of comprehensive strategies that address both prevention and institutional strengthening.

Following the assassination, agents of the National Police went to the educational center to cordon off the area and begin the criminal investigation. So far, the authorities of Nacaome have not officially determined the motive for the homicide, nor have they specified the identity of the perpetrators.

The death of the teacher in El Chaparral adds to the list of hundreds of Hondurans who have lost their lives in violent episodes during 2026, and places at the center of the national discussion the State's real capacity to guarantee security, particularly in places dedicated to education and the development of future generations. The official figures reported by the OV-UNAH underscore the magnitude of insecurity. While in 2025, 591 homicides were recorded in the first part of the year, in 2026 the figure has risen to 612 violent deaths. This is equivalent to 21 additional homicides, an average of six people murdered each day, as stated by the director of the Observatory, Migdonia Ayestas, through different statements reproduced by the academic center itself. Director Ayestas has reiterated the importance that the reduction of violence in Honduras does not depend only on police control, but on the eradication of structural factors, such as poverty, inequality and institutional weakness, which favor the expansion of crime and insecurity. He also urged to reinforce prevention programs aimed at at-risk youth and to promote a culture of peace in educational and community spaces. In the first part of 2026, Honduras has already surpassed 600 violent deaths, demonstrating the severity of a situation that, according to the OV-UNAH, is not only due to organized crime.

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Ayestas detailed to that Observatory that a considerable proportion of homicides comes from interpersonal conflicts, fights and disputes over land tenure. Domestic and intrafamilial violence also represents a determining factor in the sustained increase in the number of victims.